Benefits to Feeding Raw

A raw meat diet, also know as BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) provides better nutrition without the addition of additives, preservatives and fillers. Pet owners who feed raw have noticed the following changes:

1. Cleaner teeth -- Raw meaty bones naturally de-scale teeth of unwanted tarter
2. Less stool -- Dogs on the BARF diet produce firm stools that turn chalky in a few days
3. Healthier dogs
4. Shinier coats
5. Puppies develop at a more appropriate rate -- quick growth spurts are avoided
6. Stronger muscles -- The jaw neck and shoulder muscles are developed when ripping and chewing. The protein in the meat builds strong bones and muscles
7. More energy -- There is no added sugar in this diet so dogs enjoy energy from naturally occurring carbohydrates.

How to Start Feeding Raw

Start with the basics, raw chicken bones (backs, necks, wings, ribs). Most feeders use this as the base of their dogs meals. Beef, pork, duck, lamb, venison, rabbit, fish, etc. can be added later.

Recreational beef or pork bones are wonderful to clean teeth and to enjoy. It is that easy!

Raw vegetables should be pulped or mashed with a food processor. If you choose to make a mash, add some raw eggs (and shells) and garlic for flavoring.

Note: A dog's digestive system is unable to cope with grains. That is why they produce so much stool when fed a commercial kibble. Also, some dogs are allergic to grains. These allergies disappear when they are fed a raw meat diet.

Starter Diet for Kibble Eaters

This serves a 50 lb dog, so if your pup is 10 lbs this would make five meals.

Morning Meal

• ½ c kibble
• ¼ cup raw meat (beef, beef heart, chicken, turkey or lamb (ground), tuna or mackerel)
• 1 raw egg
• 2 T yogurt
• ½ teas honey, cider vinegar, kelp and alfalfa powder (I get these at Natures)
• 1 teas flax seed oil or 2 salmon oil capsules

Evening Meal

• Chicken wings, legs and backs
• Turkey necks, wings and soup bones

Recreational bones any time.

Generally speaking a 25 lb dog needs ½ to ¾ lbs of food a day,
a 50 lb dog needs 1 to 1 ½ lbs of food a day,
and a 100 lb dog needs 2 to 3 lbs of food a day.

For more exact calculations, use the Bravo Feeding Calculator.

Caution

Some dogs develop gas and indigestion from the following foods, please avoid feeding:

• Eggplants
• Green peppers
• potatoes
• Onions
• Tomatos
• Chocolate (poisonous to dogs)

Raw vs Kibble

Have you been thinking about feeding a raw diet because you know it makes sense.  Have you hesitated because of the cost or raw high quality human grade meat.  We hear quite often from people that they believe feeding a raw diet is expensive and can be a burden on their budget.  It can appear this way initially but compare below and you will see that you can save quite a bit by having a pet on a natural raw diet.